BALTIMORE — firmly believes he did nothing wrong.
It doesn’t change what happened here Sunday against the Ravens.
The Broncos trailed by a field goal with two minutes left before halftime when Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs strip-sacked quarterback in Ravens’ territory. Players jostled for the football when Lindsay dove head first into the pile. A few seconds later he began punching his right arm into the scrum.
“I was on the ground and I went for the ball,” Lindsay said. “I went to try and hit it out and I guess the ref saw that I was swinging at somebody. For me, I don’t think I did anything wrong. But at the end of the day, thatap not my call. So I definitely feel like I let my team down.”
The Broncos were penalized and Lindsay was ejected.
Penalties became a common theme for the Broncos in a 27-14 rain-soaked loss.
Denver totaled 13 penalties for 120 yards. You have to go all the way back to Dec. 20, 2015, for a Broncos performance so ugly. In that game the Broncos committed 12 penalties for 127 yards in a loss against Pittsburgh. On Sunday, coach described his team’s many errors as “self-inflicted” and often based on “guys losing their composure.”
Here’s the Denver penalty breakdown: unnecessary roughness (Lindsay, cornerback Isaac Yiadom and left guard ); defensive offside (linebacker , defensive end ); offensive holding (left tackle Garett Bolles twice, right guard twice); illegal use of hands (linebacker ), neutral zone infraction (Miller), too many men on the field (team) and an illegal block in the back to erase a blocked field-goal return touchdown (offensive tackle ).
Few errors were so glaring as the holds called on Bolles. The initial call negated a Broncos first down at midfield late in the third quarter. Denver punted eight plays later. The second call pushed the Broncos from the Baltimore 5-yard line to the 15 early in the fourth quarter. Keenum threw an interception on the next play.
“It wasn’t my technique. It wasn’t anything. I just didn’t play good,” Bolles said. “I hurt my team. I take full responsibilities for my actions. It was unacceptable. I didn’t protect No. 4 (Keenum), which Mr. (John) Elway brought me in to do and I kept hurting my team. … I apologize to my teammates and this organization for the way I played. It was unacceptable. You’ll definitely see a different No. 72 next week.”
Among the Broncos’ most painful penalties was their last. Denver faced fourth-and-1 from the Baltimore 6-yard line with under 4 minutes left. The flag dropped prior to the snap for 12 men in the huddle — even as tight end plead his case to the official.
“As soon as I noticed 12 in the huddle, I stepped out,” Butt said. “I’m 5 yards away from the huddle. Itap the same thing as if a quarterback recognizes 12. He steps out and you don’t call it. I stepped out and I don’t see how they can call it.”
The next play was an incomplete pass, all but ending any chance at a comeback.
Back in the Broncos’ locker room afterward, Lindsay donned a blue suit worthy of a 70s disco floor. The problem? He wore it much earlier than expected Sunday. Lindsay’s lasting words reflected the attitude of a team seemingly bit with the penalty bug.
“Thatap my fault,” Lindsay said. “Itap something I’m going to learn from thatap never going to happen again.”
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